Usually Ayu's simple ballads are forgettable for me..as I type this I can honestly say I have no idea how Beloved goes..but for some reason I love Ivy. I can't get enough of it! I love the lyrics, the melody and her style of singing (how she is sort of emphasizing each word).

Ayu should announce she's carrying a baby for her february release :love

People would just claim she's doing it to copy Kuu & Namie.

Oh, I definitely admire her ambition and attitude towards her work, I was just bringing her up because she has pretty serious pitch and control issues live as well(issues comparable to Ayumi's - and she had them equally a couple years ago and now(judging from her FNS performances)) - all while singing rather easy songs - yet people seem to fall on their knees before her vocals and I barely ever hear complaints about it. But when Ayumi sings on roughly the same level there's articles and an uproar.

It's because people don't expect much from Kuu, people don't view her as an "artist", she's just a down to Earth fun singer. People just take it as it is, have fun, and don't look for deeper meanings or anything. Does that make it worse? Not at all. I enjoy her a lot because it's all about having a good time and she's so likeable and genuine.

People seem to elevate Ayu to this supreme artistic genius level, when she's just a better than the flock pop artist, so people get extra defensive/hateful. Ayu is great, but she's still only a pop singer.

People praise Koda Kumi's vocals because she is your typical talentless ***** sexy type popstar but can sing so people tend to blow it out of proportion like she's the Japanese Whitney Houston circa 1988. Yet the majority of her live performances are just her ab-libing over a track.

Jpop's 00's generation is nothing to write home about vocally.

None of the girls who got big from this era is actually a good vocalist besides Hitomi Shimatani (that got "big"), Ayaka Hiharaha, Ayaka and Misia...

I find Keiko of globe good vocalist !

She is singing like a cat being hit to death with a basebal bat on her duet with ayu... But still, Keiko is from the 90s

It's a very bad exemple ... Yes but Misia is also from 90's

I find that 90s style very endearing... it's not good, but it's very of it's time and it kind of works.

Misia debuted in the same year Ayu and Hikki did, and she was selling millions until 2002... I wouldn't consider her an singer from the 90s once her career started by the end of the decade and her peak happened during the 00s...^^ Globe's (and so, Keiko's) last million seller was released during the 90s...

I love that style, it isn't about technique or perfection it's all about insensitivity and feeling if you get what I mean.

For example u can feel the intensity and euphoria in Keiko's voice here. I wish Ayu had started working with TK around this time so she could have had songs like this too~

^
:love

It's easy to notice how much Keiko inspired Ayu as a vocalist on the earlier days...

^
Yes it's blatant ! and you still can hear her influence in snowy kiss !

That's why I love Snowy Kiss and Ayu X TK, TK gives Ayu songs he would be making for globe if they were still active today.

^ This would have fit so well on Again.

Keiko has a very special voice. I am hoping for another solo album of hers. Her first one was really solid!

many classic moments made me a fan...
just gotta say that.

winter comes around again is a pure gold :love